The Belgian is on-loan with Atletico Madrid and rated among the best young keepers in the world.

Van der Sar remarked: "Courtois is one of those that I recognize my style in him. He is also tall and thin, but he's mostly calm.

"Sometimes I see goalkeepers who throw their arms and legs with every save in the air, while goalkeepers like Courtois just think about taking two steps to the side and saving the ball with efficiency."